Nighttime Shadows
by Dracavia
Summary: Harry is out for a nighttime walk trying to figure out if he still has anything left to fight for, when a mysterious person saves him from unexpected danger. Who is this mysterious hero and will Harry find a reason to keep fighting?


**Nighttime** **Shadows**    By Dracavia

**Pairing:** HP/? (nope, not telling you yet, read and find out)

**Rating:** PG-13?

**Summary:**  Harry is out for a nighttime walk trying to figure out if he still has anything left to fight for, when a mysterious person saves him from unexpected danger.  Who is this mysterious hero and will Harry find a reason to keep fighting?

**Warning:** Slight slash (male-male relationship) this is your one and only warning, if you don't like it please hit the back button now.

**Disclaimer:** The characters from Harry Potter belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  I just play with them once in a while.  If I _were_ JKR I wouldn't have taken 3 years to get out the 5th book (mark your calendars everyone, it's coming June 21st!!!!!).

**Spoilers:** Since it's a ficlet, not many, though I suppose there are some for book four at least.

**Feedback:** Yes please! ;-)  Constructive criticism is, as always, greatly appreciated.  This is anything along the lines of "this line was OOC" or "You contradicted yourself here" or anything of a similar manner.  I am constantly trying to improve my writing and reviews of this nature are just as welcome as any other kind words :)

**A/N:**  This ficlet was a random idea that came to me in the afternoon while I was feeling rather ill and couldn't concentrate on my Uni work.  
Thanks to Rowenna for betaing this on short notice and Jane for her never ending support as always.

  
" " means talking   ' ' means thoughts

  
  


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Harry walked silently through the nighttime shadows, pulling his invisibility cloak more tightly around him.  Pausing at a window to look out over the peaceful winter scene, he thought about how misleading it was.  Things were far from peaceful in his life, it had been a little over a year and a half since Voldemort rose at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, and Harry hadn't slept well in about as long.

Voldemort was growing stronger despite the best efforts of The Order of the Phoenix, his followers spreading into every part of the wizarding world.  In fact, it was worried that there was some kind of junior Deatheater group functioning at Hogwarts, however no one had ever been caught.

Dumbledore was away, helping coordinate forces of The Order and of a temporary Wartime Ministry, leaving Professor McGonagall in charge.  The woman did her best, but she just didn't seem to have the control over the school that Dumbledore did, and students were getting scared.

There was whispers of a group of black cloaked figures that could be seen walking the school grounds late at night.  While no one could be certain of exactly who they were everyone was agreed on one thing, they didn't want to be caught alone by that group.

One Ravenclaw student had been mysteriously sent home after having been discovered unconscious in the library early one morning.  It was rumored she'd been the victim of the Cruciatus Curse, but none of the students knew for sure.

Despite all this, Harry continued his late night walks to clear his mind, confident that his invisibility cloak would give him the advantage he'd need if something happened.  It was the only time he found peace in this terrifying and changing world.  Worst of all Harry was beginning to wonder if it was all worth it, perhaps it would be better for everyone if he just gave himself to Voldemort and the world surrendered.  Surely there'd be less death without all this fighting, anything had to be better than _this_.

Of course everyone would be under the rule of a dictator, but could you really justify all the deaths just for the sake of a few choices?  Harry felt adrift in a sea of indecision, "What I wouldn't give to have my friends with me," he sighed into the night, "But that's impossible."

Abruptly memories flooded back, being told Hermione and her parents had been killed in one of Voldemort's attacks upon muggles over the summer.  Next came the fear and loss from his stay with the Weasley's.  Voldemort had attacked The Burrow, knowing Harry was there.  Harry and much of the family had escaped, but Mister Weasley and Fred hadn't been so lucky.  They'd been captured and after they'd been brutally tortured, Voldemort had them executed.  Of course Ron said he didn't blame Harry, but he could see it in his friends eyes, deep down he did.  Ron and Harry had drifted apart, how could they not with such a rift between them.  And Sirius, dear Sirius, whom Harry had grown to love like a father…Harry couldn't bear to think about what had happened to him, all that matter was that he was gone.

That was how Harry came to be standing in the middle of the night starring out at the white landscape, _alone_.  "I have no one left, no one to care about, who cares about _me_.  There's nothing stopping me from finishing this whole bloody war and saving them more deaths as we head to defeat…" and yet there was something inside, something that wouldn't let Harry give up.  He didn't want to die, and he didn't want Voldemort to control the lives of all those around him, he had to keep hoping…

Suddenly Harry heard a noise down a corridor to his left and turned to investigate it, frustrated at the way the cloak's folds blurred his vision, Harry pulled it off of his head, so that he could be seen from the shoulders up.  _There_ he heard it again, it sounded like the mumbling of a group of people.

All of a sudden Harry felt an arm grab him from behind, pulling him into a nook in the wall behind a statue.  The next thing he knew a hand was covering his mouth and a strangely familiar voice whispered, "Don't say a word and loosen your grip on your cloak so we can both hide."  Harry did as he was told, compelled by the urgency in the voice.

The figure behind him put their arms around his waist, pulling him in tighter until they were pressed firmly against each other and with a swift motions the cloak was brought around them both.  "Now stay silent until they pass…" the voice whispered in his ear.

Against the voice's suggestion Harry was going to speak up and ask just who they were hiding from when he heard the mumbling sound again.  The figure behind him gripped even tighter, as though by sheer willpower it could make them both move in and become part of the wall.

As Harry stood there in the arms of the silent figure, a black cloaked group began to pass by the hiding place.  He could only make out random snatches of what the group was saying, "If we catch him the Master will be pleased…" "With the old fool gone, things are becoming easier…" "We will have him soon…"

Harry anxiously wondered who the group was trying to catch and pressed a bit further into the arms of the unknown person behind him, somehow feeling just a bit safer in their hold.

The black cloaked group was finally past but Harry didn't relax until the grip from the silent figure loosened almost imperceptibly.  Harry felt the head of the figure lean gently against his own.  Concentrating on the feel of the person behind him Harry realized they must be about the same height as him, and by how well his back fit against the others chest it was a boy.

The figure whispered gently in his ear, "You are so foolish, you shouldn't walk the halls alone at night.  In fact you should be safe asleep in your dorm Harry," the whispered voice paused for a moment, "It was you they were after, they know you wander the halls alone at night…if they catch you, you'll be given to the Dark Lord…you'll be killed."

Upon hearing this Harry stiffened and with a small tremor fright he asked, "How do you know all this?  And if it's so unsafe to be out, why were you?"

"I was out because I was trying to find you, to warn you…as for why I know about their plans…it's because I _was_ one of them, I was told the plan this evening along with the rest but I couldn't go through with it.  So when the search for you began I slipped off to find you and warn you, hoping I'd reach you before they did."

Now Harry was beginning to feel very nervous, the arms that felt so safe, so comforting, didn't feel quite so safe any longer.  "You are one of them?" he whispered almost too quietly to hear.

He could feel the head shaking behind him, "I _was_ one of them, but not any more.  I may enjoy power but I'm no _murderer_.  To kill in cold blood… No, I couldn't be apart of it, and I couldn't just stand aside and watch it happen to _you_.  Even with all you've been through you're still so naive, you still hope for an end to this war that will be a victory for The Light.  I couldn't let them destroy such innocence, in a time when the world is beginning to tremble in fear, falling in shadows of Darkness.  Every drop of that hope is precious…" the voice trailed off.

Harry relaxed back into the hold of the figure, the feeling of safety and security returning.  "You said you snuck away…what'll happen when they discover you're gone?" Harry was suddenly worried about this person who had saved him, he'd put himself into danger for _him, Harry_.

The figure sighed tiredly, "Then I will be in more danger than you…"

"Why?"

"Why what Harry?"

"Why will you be in more danger than I will?  And why did you do all of this, why is hope for the Light so important to you if you were a member of the Dark?"

The figure leaned against Harry wearily, "I shall be in more danger because members of my house are in that group, but there are no Gryffindors amongst them and they have yet to find a way into the tower.  So while you are there, you shall be safe…I have no such place.  As for why I did this…perhaps my mother was right, I have no desire for the kind of power I'd receive from the Dark Lord.  He leads by fear, oppression and empty promises.  I would rather have people follow me of their own free will, not because they have no choice.  Their loyalty means nothing if there is no choice but to be loyal, it is hollow, _meaningless_.  Therein lies the difference between The Light and The Dark, while I may not agree fully with the ideas of either side, with The Light there is _choice_."

Harry supposed he understood those feelings, it would be like the difference between a servant and a friend.  One was beside you because it's demanded, the other was there because they wanted to be, and which was more valuable when you really came down to it?  The friend of course.

The figure behind him might not agree with all his beliefs, but they shared the most important one, that each individual should be able to make their own choices, and not be dominated by one supreme will.  This was the belief holding Harry back from turning himself in to Voldemort, and it was obviously what was causing this person to turn away from him.

Harry nodded his head, "I understand."

The two stood silently together for a moment, both listening to make sure the black cloaked figures had not returned.  "It's time you should be getting back to the tower Harry, it's not safe here."

Harry tried to turn around, to see the face of his saviour standing behind him but the arms closed tighter around him, not letting him turn.  The voice was so familiar, Harry was sure he knew the person, and yet…there was something so different about it that he couldn't quite place it…something about the tone that was unfamiliar…the tenderness in it.

"Don't turn around Harry, it's safer if you don't know who I am," Harry nodded resignedly, "I'll walk with you to the tower, the cloak should cover us both well enough."

Slowly, as one, they moved through the corridors headed towards Gryffindor tower, the mysterious figure's arms still wrapped tightly around Harry's waist.  Eventually they were standing outside the portrait leading inside.

"Harry, now is where I leave you.  You'll be safe here, no need to worry."

Harry pressed closer to the figure behind him, he felt so safe in those arms, he never wanted to leave them.  "But I will worry…I'll worry about _you_."

Harry heard a soft sad laughter coming from the mysterious figure, "That's one of the reasons why I love you Harry, always more concerned about the unimportant people around you than about yourself."

Harry finally understood why he felt so safe wrapped in those strong arms, he was loved, and that brought more safety to his mind and heart than a hundred locked doors ever could.  It was the something that had been missing from his life for so many months.  He _had_ to figure out who this person was, they said they loved him and even though he didn't know who it was, something inside was reaching out and responding to that love.

"Please," Harry replied, "come in with me.  You said yourself it's safer in there, you can stay until morning when it'll be safe to leave."

"And what about tomorrow night? And the night after that, how will I stay safe then?  One night doesn't make that much of a difference, they'll get me eventually, better to get it over now than to prolong the waiting.  It'll only make it harder on both of us if I stay with you and you know who I am.  Then you'd know when I was gone and that would tear you apart knowing you could do nothing to stop it, I don't want that… Besides, I hardly think I'm welcome in there."

That voice, there was something about it, and what it said…Harry knew he should be able to figure out who this was, but he just couldn't quite get it.  "Then if you must leave, please just stay a few moments longer and hold me…if you're so certain that I shouldn't ever be with you again please just give me a few more moments to remember you by."

The figure sighed quietly, "As you wish Harry, but the longer I remain the harder it will be to go…"

"Please."  Harry felt himself being pulled closer, "Thank you."

The mysterious figure rested his chin upon Harry's shoulder, and whispered gently in his ear, "No, thank _you_, for giving me a reason to stand up for a change and to not just do what's expected of me.  Now I can find worth in my own eyes because I've made a difference…even if it is just a small one."

Harry's thoughts were frantic, 'I have to figure out who this is, I can't let them just go like this!'  As he stood there he could feel the strands of the figure's long hair brushing his neck, carefully, so as not to move his head and let the mystery boy know what he was doing, Harry strained his eyes to see the colour.  'It's blonde!  So, so pale a blonde.  I only know one person whose hair is like that…Malfoy!'  But it couldn't be him, Malfoy never called him Harry, would never show him such tenderness, would never…_love_.  'That's because this isn't _Malfoy_, it's _Draco_.  This is who he really is, when no one's watching…'

Harry could feel the figure behind him slowly loosening it's grip, "I've stayed longer than I should…Now go inside Harry and don't look back."  Harry didn't move.  "I knew I should have left sooner…you have to forget about me, now just go."

Harry's voice came in a barely audible whisper, "I can't do that…Draco."

Harry could hear the sharp intake of breath, in surprise, behind him.  Taking advantage of Draco's loosened grip he turned around quickly, snaking his arms around the thin waist of the pale youth before him.  "I can't let you go…I won't."

Draco shook his head sadly, "We can't be doing this Harry…no good can come of it."

Harry smoothed Draco's loose blonde hair gently with a hand, slowly letting it rest cupping his pale cheek, "It's too late now, I know what's in your heart, and I won't let you throw yourself to the wolves for me…You saved me tonight, and now it's my chance to return the favour.  Now come with me, being a prefect has it's advantages you know…I have my own room and no one will notice you're here."

Draco gave him a small sad smile, "I appreciate the offer, but that only saves me for a night, you can't protect me from them forever."

"Do you know who all of them are?  We could tell McGonagall, she'd have them expelled or something…"

"No, we don't all know who all the others are, just in case someone is caught…or something like this happens."

"Draco, I refuse to lose you after only just finding you…we'll think of something, _I'll_ think of something but for now _please_ come with me." The raven haired youth leaned in and placed a gentle kiss upon pale pink lips, it held promise of desire, hope and _love_.

Draco responded to the kiss, giving into his feelings, and when they paused for breath he whispered gently, "We shouldn't be doing this, it'll destroy us both…"

"That's where you're wrong…it's already made me stronger."

Draco merely gave him the same sad smile as before, "Oh Harry…"

"No more arguments Draco, you're coming with me," and with that Harry pulled the blonde closer to him under the cloak.  After whispering the password to the half asleep Fat Lady, they slipped quietly inside.

Harry pulled the cloak off and lead Draco towards his room.  "Now let's go to sleep, we'll worry about tomorrow come morning, for now it doesn't matter."  Still fully clothed, the two curled up together on Harry's bed, finding their brief moments of safety in each other's arms.

Harry sighed contently, for he had finally found the unknown thing he'd been searching for on his long walks…his reason to keep fighting was for the greatest choice of all, the choice to _love_.  
  


~finis~


End file.
